History of Pluto TV in Timeline

Pluto TV, launched in 2013 by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin, and Nick Grouf, is a free, ad-supported streaming television service owned by Paramount Global. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it operates in the Americas and Europe. Pluto TV mimics traditional broadcast television with digital linear channels, generating revenue through video advertisements shown during commercial breaks.

2005: Viacom and CBS Split

In 2005, Viacom and CBS Corporation split into two separate companies, five years after Viacom first acquired CBS's assets.

2013: Pluto Inc. Series A Funding

During the second half of 2013, Pluto Inc. raised $13 million in series A funding from investors that included Universal Music Group, Sky plc, UTA Ventures, and venture capital firms U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), QueensBridge Venture Partners, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Luminari Capital, Great Oaks Venture Capital and Chicago Ventures.

2013: Pluto TV Founded

In 2013, Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin, and Nick Grouf founded Pluto TV, an American free ad-supported streaming television service.

March 31, 2014: Pluto TV Beta Website Launch

On March 31, 2014, Pluto TV launched its beta website, co-founded by Nick Grouf, Tom Ryan, and Ilya Pozin.

May 14, 2014: myPluto DVR Feature Unveiled

On May 14, 2014, Pluto unveiled a digital video recorder feature on its website known as "myPluto"; users could "record" content by clicking a "save show" button that would archive content from the channel as it played.

July 1, 2015: Pluto TV Signs Deal with Hulu

On July 1, 2015, Pluto TV signed a deal with Hulu to distribute ad-supported video content available for free on Hulu's website.

October 2015: Pluto TV Adds 20 Channels

In October 2015, 20 additional channels featuring content from AwesomenessTV, Cracked, IGN, Just for Laughs, Legendary Digital Networks, Newsy, The Onion and WildBrain were added to Pluto TV.

May 15, 2016: Pluto TV App on PlayStation Store

On May 15, 2016, Pluto TV signed an agreement with Sony to make the Pluto TV app available on the PlayStation Store for download by users of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

April 30, 2017: Robert Magdlen Appointed Chief Programming Officer

On April 30, 2017, Pluto Inc. added a chief programming officer role, appointing Robert Magdlen.

May 15, 2017: Pluto TV Launches Video-on-Demand

On May 15, 2017, Pluto TV launched a traditional video-on-demand offering with content from distributors like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Viacom, Sony Pictures, Fremantle, Monstercat, King Features Syndicate along with two Canadian studios, Nelvana and WildBrain.

May 2017: Pluto TV Monthly Users

As of May 2017, Pluto TV was averaging 6 million users per month.

October 2017: Pluto TV Receives Investment from Samsung

In October 2017, Pluto TV announced it received a $5 million investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation as part of an $8.3 million round of funding.

October 2017: Pluto TV on Roku Channels

As of October 2017, Pluto TV was rated one of the most-watched Roku Channels on Roku.

March 15, 2018: Pluto TV Partners with SpotX

On March 15, 2018, Pluto TV partnered with SpotX for advertising monetization services.

August 1, 2018: Vizio Launches WatchFree Powered by Pluto TV

On August 1, 2018, Vizio launched WatchFree, an ad-supported streaming platform powered by Pluto TV.

October 1, 2018: Pluto TV Expands into Europe

On October 1, 2018, Pluto TV expanded into parts of Europe, launching on Sky's Now TV service in the United Kingdom.

October 2018: Pluto TV Advertising Inventory with Tru Optik

In October 2018, Pluto TV worked with Tru Optik to help with advertising inventory.

December 4, 2018: Pluto TV Launches in Germany and Austria

On December 4, 2018, Pluto TV launched a regional service in Germany and Austria through an agreement with Sky.

January 22, 2019: Viacom Announces Acquisition of Pluto TV

On January 22, 2019, Viacom announced its intention to acquire Pluto TV for $340 million.

March 4, 2019: Viacom Completes Acquisition of Pluto TV

On March 4, 2019, Viacom completed its acquisition of Pluto TV.

March 18, 2019: Viacom Announces Plans to Launch Pluto TV Worldwide

On March 18, 2019, Viacom announced plans to launch Pluto TV worldwide through Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN).

May 1, 2019: Pluto TV Introduces Branded Channels

On May 1, 2019, Pluto TV introduced branded channels based on Viacom Media Networks-owned cable outlets and other Viacom properties, including content from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, VH1, Logo, TV Land and MTV, along with Spike-branded channels.

June 13, 2019: Pluto TV on Comcast's Xfinity X1

On June 13, 2019, Pluto TV was launched on Comcast's Xfinity X1 cable boxes.

July 1, 2019: Pluto TV Launches Spanish-Language Tier

On July 1, 2019, Pluto TV launched a Spanish-language programming tier, Pluto TV Latino.

August 13, 2019: National Amusements Announces Viacom and CBS Recombination

On August 13, 2019, National Amusements announced that Viacom and CBS Corporation would recombine their assets into a singular entity to be named ViacomCBS.

September 2019: Pluto TV Available on Mobile Platforms in Europe

In September 2019, Pluto TV became available on mobile platforms in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom; the service first became available in those countries on iOS and Apple TV devices on September 6, and on Android devices on September 24.

November 13, 2019: CBS Channels Added to Pluto TV

On November 13, 2019, channels from CBS, including CBS News New York and Los Angeles services, and an Entertainment Tonight-branded entertainment news channel (ET Live), were added to Pluto TV.

November 2019: Pluto TV Monthly Active Users

By November 2019, Pluto TV had an estimated 20 million monthly active users.

January 2020: Pluto TV Unveils New Logo and Interface Redesign

In January 2020, Pluto TV unveiled a new logo at CES 2020 and announced a redesign of its Apple iOS apps, including a new channel guide and on-demand menu interface.

February 3, 2020: ViacomCBS Announces Pluto TV Launch in Latin America

On February 3, 2020, ViacomCBS announced that Pluto TV would launch in Latin America at the end of March, offering 17 channels in Spanish and Portuguese.

February 20, 2020: ViacomCBS Estimates 22 Million Monthly Pluto TV Viewers

On February 20, 2020, ViacomCBS estimated Pluto TV generated a monthly average of 22 million viewers in Q4 2019. They anticipated reaching 30 million monthly viewers by December 2020 and announced Pluto content would integrate into a revamped CBS All Access.

March 2020: Pluto TV Content Partnerships

In March 2020, Pluto TV had agreements with 170 content partners, offering about 425 channels and 100,000 hours of content.

July 9, 2020: Pluto TV Launches App for Virgin Media Customers in the UK

On July 9, 2020, Pluto TV launched an app for Virgin Media customers in the United Kingdom.

October 2020: Pluto TV becomes part of ViacomCBS Streaming

In October 2020, Pluto TV became part of ViacomCBS Streaming, which was led by Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan.

November 17, 2020: Pluto TV Launched in Brazil

Pluto TV launched in Brazil on November 17, 2020. It was originally expected to launch in December 2020.

December 2020: Additional Channels Planned for Pluto TV Latin America

ViacomCBS announced in February 2020 that by the end of December 2020, more than 80 channels were expected to be available in Latin America. However, the service was anticipated and was launched on November 17, 2020.

March 2021: CBS All Access Becomes Paramount+

Since March 2021, CBS All Access became Paramount+ making Pluto TV a sister service to Paramount+.

July 17, 2021: Pluto TV Adds New Channels

On July 17, 2021, Pluto TV added new channels including News 12 New York, Pluto TV Home, and Professional Bull Riders' RidePass. Pluto TV also became the exclusive home to RidePass content.

September 29, 2021: ViacomCBS to Pay $3.5 Million Over Closed Captioning Issues

On September 29, 2021, ViacomCBS agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle with the FCC over inaccessible closed captioning on Pluto TV. The FCC determined the service had not properly implemented caption settings, removed captioning capabilities, and lacked support hotlines.

November 29, 2021: Pluto TV Announces Launch in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

On November 29, 2021, ViacomCBS announced Pluto TV would launch in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark by 2022, phasing out Viafree upon launch.

February 2022: ViacomCBS Streaming Renamed Paramount Streaming

In February 2022, ViacomCBS Streaming was renamed Paramount Streaming.

February 16, 2022: ViacomCBS Streaming Renamed to Paramount Streaming

On February 16, 2022, Pluto TV's parent company, ViacomCBS Streaming, was renamed to Paramount Streaming.

July 13, 2022: Pluto TV Adds New Channel Categories and Channels

On July 13, 2022, Pluto TV added five new channel categories: Game Shows, Daytime TV, Home, Food, and Lifestyle & Culture, and two new channels: Let's Make a Deal and The Judge Judy Channel.

September 1, 2022: Pluto TV Launches New Channels

On September 1, 2022, Pluto TV launched two new channels, the movie channel 00s Replay, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

October 31, 2022: Pluto TV Adds Classic CBS Series to On-Demand Library

On October 31, 2022, Pluto TV announced it would add 6,300 episodes of classic CBS-distributed series to its on-demand library by the end of 2022, including shows like Cheers, Criminal Minds, Frasier, and Star Trek.

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December 1, 2022: Pluto TV Launches in Canada

On December 1, 2022, Pluto TV launched in Canada in partnership with Corus Entertainment, which is handling marketing and Canadian advertising sales. Corus also contributed channels to the service.

December 15, 2022: Pluto TV Launches Advertising Campaign Featuring Drew Barrymore

On December 15, 2022, Pluto TV launched a new advertising campaign featuring actress Drew Barrymore.

April 11, 2023: Pluto TV Launches CBS Sports Golazo Network

On April 11, 2023, Pluto TV launched the CBS Sports Golazo Network in the United States to showcase Paramount Global's worldwide soccer rights.

April 2023: Pluto TV Monthly Active Users

As of April 2023, Pluto TV had 80 million monthly active users.

November 1, 2023: Paramount Announces Pluto TV Merger with My5 in the UK

On November 1, 2023, Paramount announced that Pluto TV would merge with My5 in the UK, with the full launch date planned for the second half of 2024.

December 2024: Pluto TV Carries Approximately 425 Channels

As of December 2024, Pluto TV carries approximately 425 channels, packaging content acquired through syndication deals and Paramount Global's internal libraries. Channels include WeatherNation TV, Newsmax TV, and Bloomberg Television.